ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Lebanon for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding  between India and Lebanon for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.
Bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture will be mutually beneficial to both the countries. The MoU will promote understanding of best Agricultural practices in the two countries and will help in better productivity at farmer fields as well as improved global market.
The MoU will help to increase agriculture production and productivity by getting access to best practices and market worldwide. It will lead to innovative techniques for increasing production and productivity, leading to strengthening of food security.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Biofuel from microorganisms
The biofuel sector could get a boost, with researchers at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology  developing a method to improve the growth rate and sugar content of a marine microorganism called Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002.
Most biotechnological processes, including biofuel production, are dependent on the availability of low-cost and sustainable supply of sugars and a nitrogen source. The sugars typically come from plants. Plants utilize light energy through the process of photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into biological components such as sugars, proteins and lipids.
However, some bacteria, such as the cyanobacteria , too can perform photosynthesis and produce sugar by fixing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The yield of sugars from cyanobacteria could potentially be much higher than that of land-based crops. Further, unlike plant-based sugars, cyanobacterial biomass provides a nitrogen source in the form of proteins.
Cyanobacteria are found in both fresh and marine waters. Using marine cyanobacteria could be better as freshwater is increasingly getting scarce. However, there is a need to significantly improve their growth rates and sugar content in order to improve the economic feasibility of marine cyanobacteria-based sugar production.
A team from International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology has achieved this. Dr. Shireesh Srivastava, Group Leader of the System Biology for Biofuel group of the Centre and an investigator in the DBT-ICGEB Centre for Advanced Bioenergy Research, and Jai Kumar Gupta, a Ph.D. student at ICGEB led the team.
They have successfully engineered a marine cyanobacterium called Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 which showed a higher growth rate and sugar  content. When grown on air, the growth was doubled and the glycogen content of the cells increased by about 50%.
Speaking to India Science Wire, the leader of the study team, Dr. Srivastava, noted that Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 is a model marine cyanobacterium and there were other Synechococcus species or related organisms where this work can be extended right away.
“We are conducting several follow-up studies related to this work including scaling up the cultures to larger volumes, growing cells on urea from human and animal urine, optimizing the extraction of sugars and proteins from the cyanobacterial biomass, and a proof-of-concept production of a biotechnological product such as bioethanol from the processed biomass”, he added.
Department of Biotechnology sponsored the research. The scientists have published a report on their work in journal `Biotechnology for Biofuels’.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Child Care Institutions
The State/UT-wise total number of Child Care Institutions  and the number of children residing in each of them, supported under Child Protection  Scheme is at Annexure-I.
The children in distress situations merit care and protection under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice  Act, 2015. The Act and Rules made thereunder mandate a safety net of service delivery structures along with institutional and non-institutional care for these children. All the States/UTs have been asked to ensure immediate action for care and protection of children adversely impacted by COVID 19, in accordance with the provisions of the JJ Act 2015 and Rules thereunder. The responsibility of the implementation of the Act rests with the States/UTs. The State/UT-wise data of children living in Child Care Institutions, affected due to COVID as on 23.07.2021, as intimated by the States/UTs, is at Annexure-II.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
42.78 Cr. Vaccine Doses administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
3,05,03,166 total recoveries across the country so far
Recovery Rate currently at 97.35%
35,087 patients recovered during last 24 hours
India reports 39,097 new cases in last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload currently at 4,08,977
Active cases constitute 1.31% of total cases
Weekly Positivity Rate remains below 5%, currently at 2.22%
Daily positivity rate at 2.40%, less than 3% for 33 consecutive days
Testing capacity substantially ramped up – 45.45 cr tests total conducted
Ministry of Defence
PRESIDENT CONFERS VAYU SENA MEDAL  ON FLIGHT LIEUTENANT D RAVINDRA RAO  FLYING 
EMBARGO : NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST/
OR USED ON SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE 15 AUG 22, 0001 HRS
Flight Lieutenant D Ravindra Rao  Flying  is on posted strength of a Fighter Squadron.
On 06 Nov 21, Fit Lt D Ravindra Rao was ferrying a Jaguar fighter aircraft to another base as part of a detachment. After landing, while carrying out post flight inspection of his aircraft, he heard a loud explosion and saw another Jaguar aircraft crashing and skidding off the runway. He, while still kitted up with his full flying clothing, sprinted towards the crash site and found the crashed aircraft inverted with a part of canopy broken, both engines still running and the pilot bleeding and hanging from the ejection seat straps. By this time, one Crash Fire Tender  had already reached the crash site and was dousing the crashed aircraft to extinguish flames. In the meantime, the second CFT also reached the accident site and was actively directed by Flight Lieutenant D Ravindra Rao to throw extinguishing foam at the correct place. He established that the engines were still running and the pilot's ejection seat was live, which posed a grave risk of fire and explosion. Moreover, the pilot was not able to escape from the inverted aircraft. Without wasting any time and thinking of any danger to his life, Fit Lt D Ravindra Rao crawled into the inverted cockpit, operated the crash gang bar and attempted to operate engine throttles to stop position. Meanwhile, the water sprayed on the engines became hot and started pouring on him and the pilot inside the cockpit. The extensive CO2 foam sprayed by the CFT made it difficult to breathe in that confined space; but he, undeterred by all dangers, continued the rescue operation. He had to reach for the stuck & inverted pilot's legs and remove leg-restrainers and open part of g-suit to free the semi-conscious individual. He helped to extricate the pilot from aircraft, helped the medical team to remove the pilot's flying clothing, assisted them to provide first aid and strap the pilot on to the crash stretcher.
Fit Lt D Ravindra Rao showed exceptional courage and gallantry in face of a direct threat to his life. He went far beyond the normal call of duty, personally involved himself in the rescue of the semi-conscious pilot and assisted & guided the rescue crew in effectively completing the rescue operation.
For this act of exceptional courage, Flight Lieutenant D Ravindra Rao is awarded Vayu Sena Medal .
PIB Headquarters
Dak Adalat
‘Dak Adalat” will be conducted by the Senior Superintendent of Post offices, Chennai City North Division at the office premises at No.5 , IV Floor, Ethiraj Salai, Egmore. Chennai-600 008 at 11.hrs on 13.03.2020 
The members of the public are requested to send their unsettled grievances/ pending complaints relating to postal services in respected of post offices under the administrative jurisdiction of Chennai City North Divison on or before 09.03.2020.]
According to press release from Senior Superintendent of post Offices, Chennai City North Division, Chennai -600 008
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
Steps by Government of India to incentivize domestic manufacturing of RE systems
In order to incentivize domestic manufacturing of Renewable Energy systems, the Government has taken a number of steps, including:
Solar Energy:
- Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme  Scheme of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
- Production Linked Incentive  Scheme for High Efficiency Solar PV Modules
- Preference to ‘Make in India’ in Public Procurement in Renewable Energy Sector.
- Domestic Content Requirement  under schemes such as CPSU Phase-II, PM-KUSUM, Solar Rooftop Phase-II, etc.
- Imposition of Basic Customs Duty on import of solar PV cells & modules.
Wind Energy:
- Government have put in place a system of Revised List of Models and Manufacturers, and only equipment manufactured by manufacturers in the list is allowed to be used for Wind Energy Projects. It also mandates that Hub and Nacelle assembly / manufacturing facility shall be in India. More than 70 percent of the wind equipment is manufactured in India.
This information was given by Shri Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Department of Space
ISRO all set to launch first Sun mission
Union Minister of State  Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said today that after close on the heels of successful Chandrayaan mission, India is ready with the first Sun Mission “Aditya-L1”, which ISRO is all set to launch, most likely on 2nd of September.
Addressing a public program in Mainpuri, Dr Jitendra Singh said, with the entire world celebrating India’s Chandrayaan mission, the popular interest in the Sun Mission has also increased manifold.
Giving full credit to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Minister said, all this would not have been possible, if the Prime Minister had not taken the courageous path-breaking decision of liberating India’s space sector from the shackles of the past which no other government had taken the initiative to do. As a result, today, he said, within a short span of four years, ISRO’s financial resources have increased, the number of StartUps have gone up from 4 to 150 and the credibility of India’s satellite launching facility has suddenly soared so high that so far from the launching of European Satellites, India has earned more than 260 Million Euros and from the launching of American Satellite, India has earned more than 150 Million US Dollars.
It is because of PM Modi having raised the esteem of the scientific fraternity, said Dr Jitendra Singh, that today we have the confidence and conviction to launch the first-ever space mission to the Sun.
The Sun Space Mission Aditya-L1, explained Dr Jitendra Singh, shall use the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle  with seven payloads . The spacecraft shall be based in a halo orbit around Lagrange point-1 of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million Kilometre from the Earth, while a satellite placed in the halo orbit will have the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any eclipses, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, after the Mars and Moon mission, Aditya L-1 is the third such mission. It will study the energy sources from the Sun.
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SNC/PK
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Ministry of Earth Sciences
International Coastal Clean-up Day observed in Goa
Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, and Tourism Sh. Shripad Naik, Commends Coastal Cleanup Initiative
Panaji | 16 September 2023
International Coastal Cleanup Day, observed annually during the third week of September, witnessed an initiative led by the Indian Coast Guard today. Under the guidance of Coast Guard District Headquarters No 11, Goa, a massive cleanup drive was organized by the Indian Coast Guard Ship  Sujeet in collaboration with CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, Ocean Society of India, and National Centre for Polar Ocean Research, Vasco, Goa, at both Miramar Beach and Colva beach in Goa. Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways and Tourism, Shripad Naik, graced the event at Miramar as Chief Guest whereas Goa MLA Venzy Viegas was Chief Guest at Colva.
The cleanup drive, commenced early in the morning and attracted the participation of numerous volunteers. To enhance the spirit of camaraderie and dedication, T-shirts and refreshments were made available to all participants. Union Minister Shripad Naik also joined hands with the volunteers in their endeavor to restore the pristine beauty of Miramar Beach.
In his address, Minister Shripad Naik expressed his profound appreciation for the dedicated efforts of the Indian Coast Guard in organizing this crucial environmental initiative. He commended the participation of students, recognizing them as the future responsible citizens, actively engaged in preserving the coastal ecosystem.
Reflecting on the country’s commitment to cleanliness, the Minister alluded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fervent appeal to the citizens of India. He noted with great satisfaction the heightened sense of responsibility among the citizens towards the cleanliness drive, emphasizing that the active participation of the people plays a pivotal role in the success of government programs. He underlined the significance of such small yet impactful acts in advancing the prosperity of the nation. He highlighted India's progress in various sectors, including the economy, attributing this advancement to collective efforts towards a cleaner and greener environment.
The event concluded with the Union Minister extending his gratitude to all participating agencies involved in today's cleanliness drive. He wished them success in their future endeavors, emphasizing the importance of continued collaboration for the betterment of the environment and the nation as a whole.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister's telephone conversation with President Biden of the United States of America.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation today with His Excellency Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States of America.
The two leaders discussed the COVID-19 situation in their respective countries, including India’s ongoing efforts to contain the second wave of COVID-19 through expedited vaccination efforts, and ensuring supply of critical medicines, therapeutics and healthcare equipment.
President Biden conveyed solidarity with India and affirmed that the United States was determined to support India’s efforts by quickly deploying resources such as therapeutics, ventilators and identifying sources of raw materials to be made available for the manufacture of Covishield vaccines.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his heartfelt appreciation for the offer of assistance and support from the Government of the United States of America. He mentioned India’s commitment to contain the COVID-19 pandemic globally through Vaccine Maitri, and its participation in COVAX and the Quad Vaccine Initiatives. The Prime Minister underscored the need to ensure smooth and open supply chains of raw materials and inputs required for manufacture of vaccines, medicines, and therapeutics related to COVID-19.
Both leaders underlined the potential of the India-US partnership in vaccine development and supply to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and directed their respective officials to maintain close coordination and cooperation in their efforts in this domain.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also informed President Biden about India's initiative at the WTO for a relaxation in the norms of the Agreement on TRIPS to ensure quick and affordable access to vaccines and medicines for developing countries.
The two leaders agreed to remain in regular touch.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Improvement and upgradation work sanctioned for Rs.1841.92 crore for the Moradabad - Thakurwada - Kashipur section of NH-734 connecting two states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand
Improvement and upgradation work has been sanctioned under EPC mode at a cost of Rs.1841.92 crore for the Moradabad - Thakurwada - Kashipur section of NH-734 connecting the two states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand  .
In a series of tweets Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari said this improvement work of 33.724 km length  will be completed in a period of 2 years. By connecting Moradabad Bypass Corridor NH-734 i.e. Moradabad-Kashipur highway, the travel time will be significantly reduced.
The Minister said the traffic from Delhi to Meerut, Bareilly and Moradabad will be smooth and it will further connect to Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve via Ramnagar.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
NHAI to collaborate and partner with premier Technical Institutes for improving Highway Infrastructure leveraging local expertise
In its endeavor to provide world-class National Highways  network, NHAI has approached all IITs, NITs and reputed Engineering Colleges to collaborate and adopt nearby stretches of NH, on voluntary basis, as part of Institutional Social Responsibility . The objective is to leverage the intellectual prudence of students and faculty towards improvement of road infrastructure ecosystem of the country. The Institutes along with its faculty and students have better appreciation of local requirement, topography, resource potential etc. and these vital inputs can be utilized by NHAI during different stages of pre-construction, construction and operation of NH stretches. This decentralized approach, besides building a sense of participation in decision making, also provides an opportunity to the students for hands-on-learning, option for internship and future areas of research. The adoption of stretch by the Institute opens avenue for access to important data, which can be used to improve the quality and safety aspects of NH and enhance local capacity of the Institute in terms of advanced Lab and Simulation systems.
Adoption of NH stretch by an Institute would facilitate stakeholder engagement and help to mitigate the routine local problems such as traffic movement, congestion and immediate identification of accident prone sites. The Highway users become more empowered in resolving local problems through the Institute and the Authority. Such instances would help NHAI in understanding the local needs both in present and future projects, improve the maintenance & riding comfort and develop wayside amenities for enhanced user experience. The overall outcome shall be commuter friendly and enjoyable ride on the NH stretch.
Large number of IITs, NITs and Engineering Colleges have opted to join the scheme and NHAI officers have started mutual consultation with Directors of the interested Institutes. Memorandum of Understanding  are being signed between the individual Institutes and NHAI for institutionalization of the scheme and bring reformative improvements in the road infrastructure of the country.
Ministry of Cooperation
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah greets the people on the 100th International Day of Cooperatives
On the occasion of 100th International Day of Cooperatives, I pay my respects to all the great men who worked tirelessly to strengthen the idea of cooperatives in India, as well as all those whohave engaged in raising the standard of living of the poorest of the poor through the cooperative sector
The idea of cooperatives is the best medium to realize the vision of all-inclusive development
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Cooperation is determined to make this sector more powerful, modern and transparent by taking many important steps
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah has greeted the people on the 100th International Day of Cooperatives. In his tweets, Shri Amit Shah said that on the occasion of 100th International Day of Cooperatives, I pay my respects to all the great men who worked tirelessly to strengthen the idea of cooperatives in India. Along with this, I congratulate all those whohave engaged in raising the standard of living of the poorest of the poor through the cooperative sector.
The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said that the idea of cooperatives is the best medium to realize the vision of all-inclusive development. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Cooperation is determined to make this sector more powerful, modern and transparent by taking many important steps.
Election Commission
Schedule for bye-elections to fill four casual vacancies in the State Legislative Assemblies of Uttarakhand and West Bengal - Regarding.
Kolkata, 25 October, 2019
There are four vacancies in State of Uttarakhand and West Bengal Legislative Assemblies which need to be filled up are as follows:
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Sl.No.
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Name of State
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Number and Name of Assembly Constituency
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1.
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Uttarakhand
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44 - Pithoragarh
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2.
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West Bengal
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34 - Kaliaganj 
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3.
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West Bengal
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77 - Karimpur
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4.
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West Bengal
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224 - Kharagpur Sadar
After taking into consideration inputs from the Chief Electoral Officers of Uttarakhand and West Bengal and various factors like local festivals, electoral rolls, weather conditions etc., the Commission has decided to hold bye-elections to fill these vacancies as per the programme mentioned as under: -
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Poll Events
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Schedule
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Date of Issue of Gazette Notification
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30.10.2019 
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Last Date of Nominations
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06.11.2019 
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Date for Scrutiny of Nominations
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07.11.2019 
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Last Date for Withdrawal of candidatures
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11.11.2019 
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Date of Poll
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25.11.2019 
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Date of Counting
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28.11.2019 
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Date before which election shall be completed
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30.11.2019 
- ELECTORAL ROLL
The Electoral Rolls for the aforesaid Assembly Constituencies w.r.t 01.01.2019 as the qualifying date has been finally published.
- ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES  and VVPATs
The Commission has decided to use EVMs and VVPATs in the bye- election in all the polling stations. Adequate numbers of EVMs and VVPATs have been made available and all steps have been taken to ensure that the polls are conducted smoothly with the help of these machines.
- IDENTIFICATION OF VOTERS
In consonance with the past practice, the Commission has decided that the voter's identification shall be mandatory in the aforementioned election at the time of poll. Electoral Photo Identity Cards  shall be the main document of identification of a voter. However, in order to ensure that no voter is deprived of his/her franchise, if his/her name figures in the electoral rolls, separate instructions will be issued to allow additional documents for identification of voters at the time of poll in the said elections.
- MODEL CODE OF CONDUCT
The Model code of conduct shall come into force with immediate effect in the district in which the whole or any part of the Parliamentary & Assembly constituency going for election is included, subject to partial modification as issued vide Commission’s instruction No. 437/6/1NST/2016-CCS, dated 29th June, 2017 . The Model Code of Conduct shall be applicable to all candidates, political parties and the State Government concerned. The Model Code of Conduct shall also be applicable to the Union Government for the district of the State concerned.
CG
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